Suspect Surrenders After SWAT Team Operation in Flour Bluff

A 49-year old man was arrested in Flour Bluff Thursday morning following a large-scale operation by the Corpus Christi Police Department SWAT Team, the ATF and the FBI.

Authorities were serving an arrest warrant for 49-year old David Michael McDonald along with a search warrant at his home in the 900 block of Brambling Circle. McDonald voluntarily surrendered, and has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

While the police operation was executed successfully, encountering no resistance from the suspect, the scale of the operation was largely precautionary due to information that police had received on Wednesday.

According to CCPD Captain David Cook, it was around 4 p.m. Wednesday when police were notified of an aggravated assault that took place Jan. 5 at the home on Brambling Circle. The victim, who had lived at the home for a short time, alleged that McDonald had threatened him with a firearm.

The victim also said that McDonald was highly volatile, had numerous weapons and even some bomb-making materials in his residence.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for McDonald as well as a search warrant for his home, and immediately began planning the Thursday morning operation, which began just after 9 a.m. to allow for neighborhood residents to leave for work and school. They evacuated some houses in the immediate area and once the location was secure, they had the defendant call McDonald and ask him to come out.

Cook said that depending on what their search of McDonald's residence turns up, the suspect could face additional charges. As of Thursday morning, they had not located any illegal weapons or bomb-making materials, but their search was still underway.

Police did find the firearm that McDonald allegedly threatened the victim with.

"I'm very pleased with the operation," Cook said. "The subject we were arresting was not hurt. We had no citizens hurt. We had no SWAT operators hurt, and everybody is going home in one piece; and that's the whole point in doing things the way we do, so everybody goes home safely."

In all, Cook said more than 40 personnel, including the entire CCPD SWAT Team, four operators from the CCPD Bomb Squad, ATF and FBI agents, were present for the operation.

"I appreciate the cooperation of the community," Cook said. "When we contacted the people in the neighborhood, they were very understanding, very cooperative. That makes our job easier, and we're just glad that we were able to bring this resolution to a safe ending."

Frank Evans is one of the residents in that neighborhood. He said he had gone to breakfast and returned to find the road blocked off.

"I was just disappointed that the police wouldn't tell me what was going on," Evans said. "I was worried about my wife, but then when she called me, she said everything was fine and they had everything under control."

Neighbor Ellis P. Dearing had little concern, and was actually just grateful to have so many officers involved in the operation.